Chris Elsberry: Wozniacki happy to be back in New Haven

Published 6:41 pm, Sunday, August 18, 2013

NEW HAVEN -- She is back on familiar ground. Back in a place where she was embraced with open arms six years ago. Every time she returns, she is hugged even harder, especially by tournament director Anne Worcester. If Caroline Wozniacki hasn't become the face of the New Haven Open at Yale, it certainly seems like it.

Think about it. When she first arrived in 2008, Wozniacki, just 17, brought a breath of fresh air to a tournament than had been lacking in star power. Venus had stopped showing up, Serena had never been here (and was never going to come), Maria Mania lasted all of one match in 2004 and that died on the vine when Sharapova permanently crossed New Haven off her schedule (she's hasn't been back). But then Caroline came and everything changed.

She was an instant hit, both on and off the court. That first year, during a rain delay, she went over to watch the Yale football team practice. Jjust like that, she had 100-plus players and their head coach at the time, Tom Williams, fawning over her. She played a fun game of giant lawn tennis on the Yale Bowl football field, she constantly talked up the city and the cool things there were to do downtown, like the restaurant dining program and she was more than willing to step in and help out whenever Worcester needed a personal appearance.

Oh, did I mention, she's blond, blue-eyed and ¦ and a darn good tennis player?

Well, she's back again, here to try and do something that's never been done before and that's win the tournament for a fifth time. Venus Williams won four times between 1999 and 2002 and decided that was enough. Wozniacki did it between 2008 and 2011 and reached the semifinals last year, trying to win one for the thumb before suffering her first loss on the Connecticut Tennis Center's stadium court, having to retire with a right knee injury.

"I like it here. Obviously, I like it here," Wozniacki said Sunday in a pre-tournament sit-down with the media. "The court suits me really well. The atmosphere of the tournament is ¦ it always feels like a second home. I'm happy to be here again."

It's a safe bet, so is Worcester. Marion Bartoli, suddenly retired last week in Cincinnati, taking her Wimbledon championship plate back to France. And despite having four of the Top 10 players in the world in the field, for the tennis uninitiated, Sara Errani (No. 6), Angelique Kerber (No. 8) and Petra Kvitova (No. 9) aren't exactly household names.

That leaves Wozniacki to try and sell the event. And she's more than happy to oblige.

"Coming back here and playing and winning, the first time I was here was six years ago," she said. "Time flies. I'm just enjoying every year I'm here."

And, hopefully, the fans can enjoy a lot of her tennis here this week. Playing-wise, it has not been the best of summers for Wozniacki. Overall, her 21-17 match record in 2013 is shadowed by first-round upsets in Rome, Madrid, Stuttgart, Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur. She lost in the fourth round at the Australian Open and in the second round both at the French Open and Wimbledon, leaving her still hunting a Grand Slam title. Just two years ago, she was No. 1 in the world and winning a Slam seemed inevitable. Now, the talk is -- will she ever win one?

"It's just talk. I feel like I'm playing well," she said. "I feel like I'm on the right track. I think most things (in my game) I'm really pleased with. I'm pleased with my fitness, I'm pleased with the way I'm moving on the court. I'm pleased with most things, actually. Sometimes everything just feels great and sometimes in a match you feel like the serve didn't work or the return. There are always small things, but generally I feel very good about my game." Funny, but her game hasn't really made headlines of late. It's more her off the court activities that have captured all the attention.

Google "images" of Wozniacki and one is bombarded with sex symbol shots of her in a bikini. Or worse, less than flattering shots of her stuffing her sports bra with towels to imitate Serena's bust line at a recent exhibition match.

Then, there's her boyfriend, professional golfer Rory McIlroy, a two-year relationship that was recently criticized -- loudly -- by Gary Player, who said that "beauty was not the answer" and that McIlory needed to "find the right wife." Did that talk bother her?

"Not really," she said. "I just live my life as I want to live it. I want to enjoy my life. I have a tennis career and I want to be the best player I can be. Off the court, I want to enjoy my success, I want to enjoy the life that I have. I don't really care about what anyone else thinks. The most important thing is that I'm happy and that he's happy as well."